Minnesota @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 11, 2018 ) Houston 8, Minnesota 9

Alex Bregman helped the Houston Astros get back on track over the weekend and looks to continue his surge when they host the struggling Minnesota Twins on Monday afternoon for the opener of their three-game series. Bregman, who is batting .342 since July 31, homered for the second straight contest on Sunday as the American League West-leading Astros earned a split of their four-game set against the Los Angeles Angels with a 4-2 victory.

Houston extended its division lead over second-place Oakland to 2 1/2 games after George Springer went deep for the first time since Aug. 5, improving to 9-for-26 with six runs scored over his last six contests. Dallas Keuchel goes after his second straight win and sixth quality start in seven outings for the Astros in the series opener while Minnesota counters with Kyle Gibson, who gave up five runs over 4 1/3 innings on April 11 to drop to 3-1 lifetime against Houston. The Twins are 10 games under .500 despite occupying second place in the AL Central and have dropped seven of nine after being routed 18-4 at Texas on Sunday. Former MVP Joe Mauer should be in the lineup Monday after being rested in the setback and needs one extra-base hit to tie Tony Oliva (597) for fourth place on the Twins’ all-time list.

TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FS North (Minnesota), AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Kyle Gibson (7-11, 3.79 ERA) vs. Astros LH Dallas Keuchel (10-10, 3.58)

Gibson allowed 12 runs - nine earned - on 15 hits and seven walks over 10 innings in road losses to Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox to end the month of August. The 30-year-old native of Indiana, who has registered a career-high 153 strikeouts this season, had won his previous two starts while yielding four runs in 14 frames. Bregman, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa are a combined 11-for-25 against Gibson.

Keuchel has given up more than three runs just once over the last two months and limited Oakland to that amount over six innings in a no-decision last time out. The 30-year-old former Cy Young Award winner finished August with a 3.49 ERA after a dazzling July in which he went 4-1 with a 1.65 mark. Keuchel dropped to 2-3 lifetime versus the Twins after permitting three runs over four frames in a 4-1 setback on April 10.

WALK-OFFS

1. Minnesota OF Eddie Rosario (quadriceps), who leads the team in batting (.292), homers (22) and RBIs (74), is not expected to play Monday.

2. Altuve has gone 0-for-11 with four strikeouts over his last three games, dropping his batting average to .321.

3. Twins C Chris Gimenez belted a two-run homer and pitched an inning - yielding five runs and six hits (two homers) - on Sunday in his first game since being re-acquired from the Chicago Cubs.

PREDICTION: Astros 8, Twins 2